I think about a world to come where the books were found by the golden ones, written in pain, written in awe by a puzzled man who questioned, "What are we here for?" All the strangers came today and it looks as though they're here to stay.

-David Bowie "Oh! You Pretty Things"

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Thursday TV Tournament: Match-up 10 Results

When I saw this match-up between fifteenth seed, 30 Rock Season Five, Episode Twelve, "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning," which aired January 27, 2011, and eighteenth seed, Community Season Two, Episode Seven, "Aerodynamics of Gender," which aired November 4, 2010, I knew there were going to be some hurt feelings. Well, for me, at least. It looks like the verdict is in:

The Community episode "Aerodynamics of Gender" holds a special place in my heart. The stories of the secret trampoline and Abed's ability to "terminate" women with witty insults were really fun, and this was the first episode of the second season that promised any of the greatness of the first season. The Sixth Sense surprise ending was one of my favorite moments of the entire season. But against a 30 Rock with humor strong enough to stand up to multiple re-watches without diminishing, this episode of Community didn't stand a chance. It hurt not a little to see this episode out of the competition, but if it's not the very best it was bound to go at some point. Congratulations, 30 Rock on a difficult victory. Sometimes, solid and consistent comedy are enough to defeat a giant, killer punchline, as was the case today.

Tune in next time for a match-up between tenth seed, 30 Rock Season Five, Episode Four, "Live Show," which aired October 14, 2010, and twenty-third seed, 30 Rock Season Five, Episode Twenty-Three, "Respawn," which aired May 5, 2011. It's a 30 Rock-off!